SAN FRANCISCO — John “Way Back” Wasdin pitched a minute for the pre-humidor Rockies in 2000. Fans gifted him that nickname not because he was old-school. Wasdin was a well-oiled home run machine, pushing outfielders way back to the wall as hitters jogged their way back to home plate.

The Rockies, 15 years later, have reached way back for Wasdin’s equal.

Kyle Kendrick on Sunday looked way back to left center as another home run left the yard, then turned to right center as a ball nearly landed way back in the water of McCovey Cove.

The Giants blasted Kendrick for two home runs in a game-breaking sixth inning to run away from the Rockies in a 6-3 victory.

“I left some pitches up and that’s what happens,” Kendrick said.

Colorado (33-42) fell way back in the National League West, now nine games behind the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, and eight behind the second-place Giants (42-35).

Kendrick’s two home runs increased his season total to 23 — the most allowed in baseball. Milwaukee’s Kyle Lohse, at 19, is fading fast. In 95 innings, Kendrick has allowed a home run every four innings by average. Wasdin, in his career, averaged one homer every six innings.

Kendrick signed a one-year, $5.5 million free agent deal with the Rockies in February. With Kendrick on the mound this season, the Rockies are 4-12.

“He’s got to keep the ball down,” manager Walt Weiss said. “The elevated pitches get hit hard. That’s how it is with anybody.”

Matt Duffy’s solo shot to lead off the sixth — Kendrick threw a sinker that stayed high and out over the plate — gave the Giants a 4-2 lead.

“I wanted to go up and in there, it just wasn’t in enough,” Kendrick said. “It was a bad pitch.”

After Brandon Barnes made a stretched-out diving catch in center field to put out Buster Posey and Brandon Belt grounded out, Kendrick’s changeup to Brandon Crawford stayed flat. Crawford homered over the brick wall in right field to extend the Giants’ lead to three runs.

Duffy nearly hit for the cycle with a first inning triple and a third-inning double — his seeming single in the seventh was ruled foul on a replay.

Kendrick left after 5 2/3 innings , with eight hits and five runs. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter. Kendrick’s outing, though, was good enough through five innings. Kendrick kept San Francisco from pulling away, with only Buster Posey’s two-RBI single in the third the real damage.

“What’s more frustrating is the home runs,” Kendrick said. “That’s where you have to keep your team close and give them a chance. I wasn’t able to do that.”

Even against Giants ace Madison Bumgarner, the rolling Rockies offense kept pace. Nolan Arenado slammed a two-run home run to left field in the first that scored DJ LeMahieu. And Arenado hit another solo homer in the ninth to cut the deficit.

Arenado has eight home runs in his past seven games, including three multi-homer efforts. His 24 home runs are tied for second-most in baseball, trailing only Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton, who had 27 before he broke his wrist last week. Arenado overtook Stanton for baseball’s RBI lead, with 68.

“He’s definitely in a zone,” Weiss said.

Bumgarner, who hit a solo home run off Rockies reliever Christian Bergman in the seventh, pitched 7 2/3 solid innings, giving up five hits and three runs. He struck out eight and walked two.

But the Rockies dropped a series against the Giants for the first time this season.

“We’re scoring runs. We’re doing a good job,” Arenado said. “At the end of the day, we all have to be on our game, from pitching to hitting. If (Bumgarner’s) on his game, good pitching beats good hitting. And he won the battle.”

covers baseball and the Rockies and all sorts of sports. He started working at The Denver Post while in high school before graduating from the University of Colorado. Reach him at ngroke@denverpost.com

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